From Tuesday to Wednesday last week, more than 142 participants, largely comprised of parliamentarians from 29 countries, took part in the World Parliamentarians’ Convention on Tibet (WPCT) in Tokyo. This was the ninth such convention, with the first one held in New Delhi in 1994.
The convention brings together lawmakers from democratic nations around the world to discuss Tibet and how they can best spotlight its dispute with China and eventually resolve it.
The WPCT was cohosted by the Tibetan parliament in exile (the legislative wing of the Central Tibetan Administration) and the Japanese Parliamentary Support Group for Tibet.
Twelve sessions took place, including the inaugural and the closing sessions. Penpa Tsering, sikyong of the Central Tibetan Administration, and other Tibetan delegations also took part in the deliberations. The participants all unanimously came out with three important resolutions: the Tokyo Declaration, the Resolution on Celebrating the Legacy of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama on his 90th Birthday and the 9th WPCT Region-Wise Action Plans on Tibet.
The resolutions tie together the essence of the convention and acknowledge the growing support for Tibet. It also touched upon the issue of Tibet’s sovereignty, which they recognize as a historically independent nation before the forceful and illegal occupation by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in 1950.
An entire resolution was dedicated to the 14th Dalai Lama — celebrating his legacy of compassion, nonviolence and universal ethics. There was much emphasis on his 90th birthday and this resolution consisted of six major points. One of them is the reaffirmation of “the sole and exclusive authority over the reincarnation of the 14th Dalai Lama with His Holiness himself and with Gaden Phodrang Trust.” This indicates the significance and importance of the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, which would be clarified during the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday on July 6.
The collective resolutions also highlight the situation in Tibet and how Beijing continues to contravene the human rights of Tibetans. It also calls upon parliaments, governments and UN organizations to raise the issue of Tibet, and commended actions that have been taken, such as the 2024 Resolve Tibet Act.
When the meeting was held, there was much uproar from Beijing, with the Global Times publishing two articles on June 3 and 5 that included statements from the Chinese embassy in Japan.
It expressed strong dissatisfaction over the convention, criticized the Dalai Lama and the Central Tibetan Administration, which it referred to as the “Tibetan government-in-exile,” and said that Tibet should be referred to by its Chinese name, Xizang (西藏), that the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama should abide by Chinese national laws and regulations, and that Tibet’s economy is booming and people’s lives are improving.
What is fascinating is how the resolutions all engage with the narratives that Beijing came out with at the Global Times.
With this back and forth between Tibet and the PRC, Beijing confirmed the significance of the ninth WPCT.
Taiwan could also host the convention, as it has an engaging Taiwan Parliamentary Group for Tibet — the 11th such group, formed on May 20 last year in Taipei. Furthermore, it would continue until the Tibet-China dispute is resolved, with the international community, including the lawmakers of democratic nations, supporting the resolution of this dispute.
Tenzing Dhamdul is a senior researcher at the Foundation for Non-Violent Alternatives in New Delhi.
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